The following continues the serialization of Chapter 3 on education from SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity:
U.S. versus the World on Education
Somewhere between 82% and 85% of the world adult population is literate, depending the study and parameters. Europe is at 99%, U.S. just below that and Africa 73%. But literacy is only a step towards competency.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) brings together the governments of 30 countries committed to democracy and market economy. It is headquartered in Paris and exchanges views with 70 countries. Their Program for International Student Assessment surveys 15-year olds in the principal industrialized countries. In 2003, the poll (a free 471 page report can be obtained through the internet) showed that the U.S. ranked (out of 38 countries):
SUBJECT.............RANK.............TOP THREE COUNTRIES
o Mathematics............24............Hong Kong Finland South Korea
o Science......................19............Finland Japan Hong Kong
o Reading.....................12............Finland South Korea Canada
o Problem Solving......26............South Korea Finland Hong Kong
China, India and Singapore were not surveyed. Germany and France did better than the U.S., but were not in the top ten.
Was it government support? The Czech Republic, in the top ten for math, spent only one third as much as the U.S. per student. Teacher’s salaries? The average American teacher is paid about $40,000/year. The pay for a Finnish teacher is about $33,000.
In just another of innumerable comparative tests, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study reported that Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore topped 45 countries in a fourth-grade reading test. Even with No Child Left Behind, which stresses reading competency, the average for U.S. students dropped, and we ended up in 18th place. To accentuate this decay, reading scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (taken by high school students) declined to a thirteen year low in 2006.
The New York Times reported on December 7, 2003, “Economic Time Bomb: U.S. Teens are among the worst at math.” Nation at risk? Blue ribbon panel convened by the President? Nope! Nothing. We are awaiting the 2007 report, to, no doubt, still do nothing.
USA Today sponsored a debate on improving education, and two points drew my attention. First, it was shown that teachers and unions were fighting a plan by President Bush to build an adjunct teacher corps of 30,000 experienced scientists and mathematicians to assist schools. The unions resisted by saying that teacher pay had to be increased and working conditions improved. There are two sides to this question, so let me just say that there must be a way to justify higher salaries, plus use this cadre of citizens.
Second, it was shown that, in the U.S., 15% of undergraduates received degrees in science or engineering. The figures for our competitors, courtesy of the National Academy of Sciences, were: Singapore (67%), China (50%), France (47%) and South Korea (38%). This is not to say that only scientists and engineers are important to a society, but this wide discrepancy has to be of some, if not a lot, of concern. But is all this crucial to the future of the Nation? Maybe not.
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The Dow Jones went down 8 to 9784, while world markets all went up, except for Canada. Gold slipped $3/toz to $1014, while crude oil is at $72/barrel.Somewhere between 82% and 85% of the world adult population is literate, depending the study and parameters. Europe is at 99%, U.S. just below that and Africa 73%. But literacy is only a step towards competency.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) brings together the governments of 30 countries committed to democracy and market economy. It is headquartered in Paris and exchanges views with 70 countries. Their Program for International Student Assessment surveys 15-year olds in the principal industrialized countries. In 2003, the poll (a free 471 page report can be obtained through the internet) showed that the U.S. ranked (out of 38 countries):
SUBJECT.............RANK.............TOP THREE COUNTRIES
o Mathematics............24............Hong Kong Finland South Korea
o Science......................19............Finland Japan Hong Kong
o Reading.....................12............Finland South Korea Canada
o Problem Solving......26............South Korea Finland Hong Kong
China, India and Singapore were not surveyed. Germany and France did better than the U.S., but were not in the top ten.
Was it government support? The Czech Republic, in the top ten for math, spent only one third as much as the U.S. per student. Teacher’s salaries? The average American teacher is paid about $40,000/year. The pay for a Finnish teacher is about $33,000.
In just another of innumerable comparative tests, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study reported that Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore topped 45 countries in a fourth-grade reading test. Even with No Child Left Behind, which stresses reading competency, the average for U.S. students dropped, and we ended up in 18th place. To accentuate this decay, reading scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (taken by high school students) declined to a thirteen year low in 2006.
The New York Times reported on December 7, 2003, “Economic Time Bomb: U.S. Teens are among the worst at math.” Nation at risk? Blue ribbon panel convened by the President? Nope! Nothing. We are awaiting the 2007 report, to, no doubt, still do nothing.
USA Today sponsored a debate on improving education, and two points drew my attention. First, it was shown that teachers and unions were fighting a plan by President Bush to build an adjunct teacher corps of 30,000 experienced scientists and mathematicians to assist schools. The unions resisted by saying that teacher pay had to be increased and working conditions improved. There are two sides to this question, so let me just say that there must be a way to justify higher salaries, plus use this cadre of citizens.
Second, it was shown that, in the U.S., 15% of undergraduates received degrees in science or engineering. The figures for our competitors, courtesy of the National Academy of Sciences, were: Singapore (67%), China (50%), France (47%) and South Korea (38%). This is not to say that only scientists and engineers are important to a society, but this wide discrepancy has to be of some, if not a lot, of concern. But is all this crucial to the future of the Nation? Maybe not.
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Tropical Typhoon Choi-wan has weakened to 125 MPH, but most importantly, is still expected to not quite make it to Japan, slipping along the eastern seaboard.
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